NLA committee on public health holds seminar on diet pill ads

Bangkok – The committee on public health of Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has held a seminar on “The Dangers of Diet Pills and Beauty Products”, collecting suggestions from academics on how to remedy unrealistic claims contained in advertising, especially online.

Food and Dietary Safety Expert Wanchai Srithongkam explained that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspects the production process, facilities and retail spaces for products it authorizes and monitors such matters and that diet pills that claim to produce weight loss in three to seven days can be considered engaging in false advertising as the Department of Medical Science has found that any such products would contain substances dangerous to consumers.

The consumer complaint center of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) meanwhile made it known that advertisers of such products employ a range of techniques to confuse consumers. The NBTC is working to detect all such violators and is prepared to issue warnings to broadcasters and stations as an initial measure and to suppress broadcast and issue fines of up to 5 million baht in severe cases.